No matter what holiday you’re celebrating next, you can always improve on your holiday party game. Even if things went smoothly at your last get together, there’s always something that didn’t quite work last time – maybe you didn’t have enough of this, or enough time for that, or your budgeting wasn’t great. Whatever it was, here are five ideas for getting the most out of your next holiday party.
Plan Well in Advance
Get the holiday music ready, because it’s all about the playlist. Not just the music playlist, but your party plan. Look at it as a playlist, where each moment is like a perfect song that has to come on at just the right time. You should know where you’re getting your food from, as well as your drinks, and you need to know who is available. If you’ve got special dietary concerns, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got enough there, too, and in the case of allergies, you may to plan to keep a lot of stuff separate or out of the house for the whole party.
Prep the Drinks in Advance
There’s nothing wrong with some pre-mixed drinks so that you’re not having to bartend instead of enjoying your own party. Setting up a drinks station is a great way to make sure everything is in one place, including your pre-mixed drinks or beers or soft drinks. This way people know where to head to, and you don’t have people wandering around your fridge looking for the stuff they need.
Stock Up on Non-Party Items
If you want to keep your holiday parties a long-standing tradition, you have to make sure you have the basics, and we don’t just mean food and drinks and party favors. Toilet paper, paper towels, soap, mints – even making sure all of your hand towels are washed and ready – are all necessities for a successful party, and they’re often the last thing we think of, if we even think of them at all.
Take it Easy and Simple
You might have some big ideas for your celebration, but if you’re the only one doing the planning and actually trying to pull the whole thing off, keeping your party on the simple track is the way to go. No one remembers the frills at a party, they just remember the great conversations and the fun times they had. Your only job is to enable that, and all you need is space, food, drinks and usually a little music or even a movie, depending on the party – and, of course, yourself.
Make it a Potluck
Another way to take some of the pressure off yourself is to have everyone bring a little something. This way they can bring options that suit their own dietary needs while helping out the rest of the party by adding an extra side or main dish. Just make sure you’ve got enough room, a warming station if needed, and that there’s nothing to be cooked during the party, and you’re good to go.